Review of 'The Abandons': Kurt Sutter's Unwanted Western on Netflix is a Poorly Executed Family Drama

After the success of "Sons of Anarchy," Kurt Sutter has struggled to complete his projects. Following the underwhelming reception of his show "The Bastard Executioner," which was canceled after one season, and his departure from the "Sons of Anarchy" spinoff "Mayans M.C." due to behind-the-scenes conflicts, Sutters next big project faced similar setbacks. "The Abandons," a Netflix Western set in the 1850s, had its own production woes. Despite promising early concepts, Sutter parted ways with the series just weeks before completion. Reports indicated that his 100-minute pilot led Netflix to question the shows direction, leading to a series of reshoots and significant cutsultimately reducing the original ten episodes to just seven. The final product feels truncated and underwhelming, with many episodes barely lasting 40 minutes, leaving viewers with little sense of a larger vision.

What stands out most about "The Abandons" isnt just the chaos behind the scenes, but the experience of watching it unfold. The final product feels disjointed and half-baked, with characters and plotlines that seem to exist just for the sake of fulfilling a streaming slot. While the cast is undeniably talented, their performances dont help elevate the material. They seem less like fully fleshed-out characters and more like placeholders in a series that never quite knew where it was going. The shows pacing and structure feel rushed, with predictable arcs that never reach the depth they should. The writing leans heavily on Western tropes, and the dialogue often feels forced, devoid of any fresh or engaging substance.

The shows central conflict pits Constance Van Ness (played by Gillian Anderson), a wealthy widow with a thriving mining business, against Fiona Nolan (Lena Headey), an Irish immigrant who resides on the land Constance covets. Constance is ruthless in her pursuit of land, using manipulation and violence to push Fiona off her property. However, Constance is presented as more of a one-dimensional villain, with moments of "goodness" that feel out of placeperhaps remnants of a more developed character that never made it into the final cut. Her motivations, while clear, are undercut by these contradictory scenes, leaving her as little more than a caricature.

Fiona, on the other hand, represents a more complicated vision of family and community. She is driven by loyalty to her family, but her perspective on what constitutes family differs from Constances more transactional view. Fionas complex relationships with her adopted children and her sense of belonging as an outsider add depth to her character, but even these moments are undermined by inconsistent storytelling.

The narrative struggles with tonal inconsistency and plot holes that leave viewers questioning the intent behind certain scenes. For instance, one confusing moment features a horse leaping over a ravine, with the rider saved, but the horse's fate is left unexplained. Such awkward moments detract from the show's potential, further highlighting its rushed nature.

In the end, "The Abandons" feels like a product that was hastily thrown together to meet a Netflix release deadline. The final episode ends with a lackluster cliffhanger, signaling that the show was likely abandoned before it could find its footing. Despite its troubled creation, the show is not uniquely badit blends in with the sea of forgettable content often churned out by streaming platforms. While it doesnt inspire the same visceral reactions as other recent shows, like those from Ryan Murphy or "The Morning Show," "The Abandons" is still part of a growing trend of mediocre content that is mass-produced and quickly discarded. The real tragedy of the show is not just its troubled production, but how it contributes to a broader trend of forgettable, easily digestible series that fail to leave a lasting impact.

"The Abandons" premiered on Netflix on December 4, with all seven episodes available for streaming.

Author: Sophia Brooks